Sealing-tape holder and moistener



Nov. 6 i923.

L. G. MASSICOTTE SEALING TAPE HOLDER AND MOISTENER Filed Aug. l0 1922www Patented Nev. 6, i923.

narran stares LOUIS G. MASSICOTTE, OF FROVIDENCE, REIDE SLAND.

SEALING-TAPE HOLDER AND MOSTENER.

Application filed August 10, 1922. Serial No. 580,395.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis G. MAssIco'rrn,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county ofProvidence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Sealing-Tape Holders and Moisteners, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction ofsealing-tape holders and moisteners, and has for its object to provide aholder of this character constructed substantially of banjo-shape forsupporting a roll of gummed tape and adapted to serve as a waterreservoir and to work with its roll of tape in a horizontal plane.

A further object of the invention is to provide a frictional means forsupporting a tape roll above the plane of the body in a manner supplyingthe required friction to the rotating tape roll.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a spring forpressing the tape against the under .side of the cutter plate for 25 thepurpose of more nearly centralizing the operating position of the tapeand to facilitate threading the tape under the cutter and thus rendermore perfect the severing action of the cutter when the tape is drawn ortorn across its edge.

rFhe invention further consists in the provision of means for protectingthe exposed surface of the roll while mounted upon its support.

W7 ith these and other vobjects in view, the invention consists ofcertain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described,and particularly pointed out in the appended claims;

In the accompanying drawings:

Y Figurel 1 is a` front or plan view of the sealing tape holder andmoistener showing the roll of tape in dotted lines with its end ledthrough the guides and over the moistening roll.

Figure 2 is acentral sectional side elevation of my improved tape holderand moistener.

Figure 3 is an end view showing a portion of the base andy the angularguide over which the tape is drawn to impart a onequarter turn to thetape as drawn thereover also showing the open end guide finger un derwhich4 the tapeis led.

Figure 4: is a side elevation partly in section showing the spring aspressing the tape up against the under side of the cutting plate.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective View of the presser spring. f

It is found in practice of advantage t provide a sealing-tape holder andmoistener which is adapted to support the tape roll in a horizontalplane to minimize the room taken up when in working position upon acounter; also to'permit the use of the roll of tape of'a maximumdiameter and that without danger of being in theY way or tipping over;also to provide a spring guide finger to facilitate threading the tapeunder the knife plate and also to'hold the tape against the under sideof the knife blade to prevent a ylateral slipping movement on the knifeblade when applying a sideways or tearing movement to the tape, and thefollowing is a Vdetailed description of one means by which theseadvantageous results may be accomplished llith reference to thedrawings, l0 desig nat'es the body of the holder member which ispreferably formed somewhat` in the shape of a banjo, the same comprisingan enlarged circular body portion l1 having a cooperating elongatedradially-extending member 12,l both the body and the extending armportion being hollow as shown in Figure 2, and being provided with abottom wall 14 and a top wall 13, the side walls 15 thereof providing areservoir in which may be carried a large quantity of water for thepurpose of -moistening the tape, in the manner presently described, butobviously the arm portion alone may be employed as a reservoir ifdesired. f

The bottom wall 1&1 is preferably provided vwith. three rubber bosses 16on which the holder may stand 'on' a' polished surface without injuringthe same.

Near the outer end of this hollow' arm, l have ren'ioved a portion ofthe upper wall forming an opening 17 in which the moistening roll 18 isrotatably mounted, the side walls of the holder being grooved out as at19 in this, open portion, to serve as bearings for the roll shaft 20. Iy

This moistening roll is provided withv a roughened surface so that thewater in vthe reservoir will adhere theretoandbringup a suiiicientquantity to properly moisten the y whichspindle is adapted to extendthrough a center hole in the roll of tape 23', tov rotatably supportVthe same thereon, and

in order t provide a proper resistance to Ythe rotation ofthis roll,.Ilhave formed a rib v23 .extending across the body portion on whichtheside of the roll lies, the width,

of the rib being designed to just supply the necessary friction t0properly retard the rotation of the roll when the tape is being drawntherefrom. Y

In practice'this -roll of tape is designedY Vto lieflat upon the face ofthe holder and the holder is designed to lie in a horizontal positionyupon the table or counter, the gum-med face of the tape lyingoutwardly. It is, therefore, found necessary to impart a one-quarterturn to the tape as drawn from `the roll so that the guinmcdsurface willbe t-urned downwardly to contact with the face of the moistening roll.'Io effect this Vone-quarter turn, I have provided a wire standard 24fixed to the face of the holder, its outer portion Ybeing looped aroundlforwardly as at 25 see Figure 1, and from this forward portion a part26 0f the wire extends downwardly at an angle of substantially to restupon the faceA ofthe holder and forward of this bar is positioned atransversely-extending guide Vfinger 27 which is raised above the planeof the holdereface and secured at one end on the boss 28 by fa screw 29,the opposite end being 'free to permit the biglit or loop of the tape tobe passed thereunder.

Forwardly of this guide finger, I have provided a ltransverse rib 8O onthe arm of the holder, which serves to lift the gummed surface of thetape from the broad surface of the holder so as to permit a circulationof air thereunder and so prevent it adher-k ingto the surface of theholder'.

Forwardly -of this rib 30, I have positioned a transverse plate or blade31 which is secured at both ends to .the bosses`32 by l the-tape yfromslipping vsidewise beneath fthev screws 33, the forward --edge ofthis'platcbeing beveledto a knife `edge `as at 34so as to facilitate thecutting ortcaring of the vtape when drawn across thisy edge to'besevered.

.-It-f is V-foundinsome instances of some lbeneaththis knife plate andalso to prevent knifeV during the sidewise tearing action whichresultsin a diagonal Acut instead Vof one straight across, whichispreferred.

Io-lebviatethisfcl-iiculty,l have provided da; Y culty to thread thefend of the tapequickly aflat s rinfl 35 havin' an arm 36 connect- Y edat one end through a hole 37 to the screw 33, the opposite end 38 beingfree andthis arm is-arranged to extend along beneath' the cutterplateBl.

rIhe lspring is also provided with a rearit is only necessary to layitsend upon the y spring arm 3() and then by .pressing downwardly andforwardly the spring is slightly separa-ted from the under side of theplato and at thesame .time the tape slides Yalong the upper face of the.spring beneath the cutter plate and over the Vroll 18, then whenreleased this spring will lift the tape and sui bind it in positionagainst thennder side of the cutter plate thereby preventing the tapefromslipping sidewise beneath the cut-v ter plate when the tape is beingtorn over the edge thereof. N

It is alsofound in practice that where the roll. of tape lieshorizontally for some considerable time and is exposed to the moistureof the atmosphere and the moisture due to contact with the hand of theoperator, 0f advantage to cover this face of the roll and so protect itvagainst these deteriorating effects, Vand to accomplish this in a verysimple and effective way, I have provided a disc or'plate 41 having acentral Y hole to'fit oveci1 the spindle 21 and lay flat againstthe'upper vface ofthe tape roll to turn with it and when the roll isexhausted the plate is removed and subsequently placed over the face ofthe next fresh roll positioned in the holder. V

My improved sealing tape holder 'and moistencr is extremely simple andpractical in construction, effective in its operation and by its usethe'tape may be Yreadily fed forwardly until it becomes thoroughlymoistened upon being passed over the moistenfr ing roll and lay/beingheld while severed,v V

the tearing is quickly and accurately .eff fected squarelyacross thecutter plate and the machine may be rvery rapidly operated.A Theforegoing description is directed 1 solely towards the constructionillustrated, y

but I .desire itto be understood that VI reserve Vthe privilege'ofiresorting to all the mechanical changes towhich .the vdevice issusceptible, the invention being definedfand limited claims'.y Y

I' claim:

1. A machine of the character vdescribed comprising ahollow body havinga coopfen only by the terms of the' appended ating radially-:extendinghollow farm form'- -ingawater' reservoir,1said arm having an openingVthroughafits upper wal-l f..near .its

out'erend, a .moisteningrollnountedinSaid opening,'-a center spindle linsaid body v.on

which the roll of gummed tape is rotatably mounted to lie in a pla-neparallel with that of the face of the body, a guide for leading the tapewith a quarter turn to said moistening roll, anda cutter edge adjacentthe roll.

2. A sealing tape holder and moistener comprising a hollow body havingal narrow elongated cooperating radially extending member, the wholebeing adapted to work in a horizontal plane and said member beingadapted toV serve as a water reservoir, a moistening roll mounted insaid extension, a tape roll receiving spindle inl said body forsupporting the tape above the plane of the reservoir, and an angulartape guide for imparting a one-quarter turn to the tape to be led oversaid roll.

3. A sealing tape holder and moistener comprising a tape carrying baseof substantially banjo shape adapted to serve as a water reservoir andwork in a horizontal plane, a tape moistening roll in the arm ot' saidbase, a center spindle on the body of said base to support the tape rollin a plane parallel with that of its base, guides on the arm portion forturning the gummed tace of the tape downwardly and' conducting the sameover said roll when drawn outwardly, and a tape cutter plate near 'theedge of the roll.

4. A sealing tape holder and moistener comprising a tape-carrying baseof substantially banjo shape adapted to serve as a water reservoir andwork in a horizontal plane, a tape-moistening roll in the arm of saidbase, a center spindle on the body of said base to support the tape rollin a plane parallel with that of its base, a raised portion on the baseon which the tape roll sets of a width to apply the required friction tosaid rotation of the roll, an angular tape guide for imparting aone-quarter turn to the tape when led thereover to turn its gummedsurface downwardly, and a tape cutting guide plate adjacent saidmoistening roll.

5. A sealing tape machine comprising a hollow body having a narrowelongated cooperating radially extending member, the whole being adaptedto work in a horizontal plane and said member' serving as a waterreservoir, a moistening roll mounted in said extension, a tape rollreceiving spindle in said body, an angular tape guide for imparting tothe tape a one-quarter turn as drawn thereover, a cutter plate servingas a guide to lead the tape over the said roll, and a spring forpressing the tape against the under surface of said cutter plate.

6. A sealing tape machine comprising a tape carrying base ofsubstantially banjo shape adapted to serve as a water reservoir and workin a horizontal plane, a tape moistenin roll in the arm ot' said base, acenter spindle on the body of said base, guides on the arm portion forturning the gummed tace of the tape downwardly and conducting the sameover said roll when y drawn outwardly, a tape cutter plate near the edgeof the roll, and a flat spring loca-ted beneath the cutter plate andbetween which and the cutter plate the tape is led to facilitate thesevering action of the cutter.

7. A sealing tape machine comprising a hollow body having a narrowelongated cooperating radially extending member, the whole being adaptedto work in a horizontal plane and serve as a water reservoir, amoistening roll mounted in said extension, a tape roll-receiving spindlein said body, an angular tape guide for imparting to the tape aone-quarter turn as drawn thereover, a cutter plate serving as a guideto lead the tape over said roll, a spring for pressing the tape againstthe under surface of said cutter plate, and a longitudinally extendingarm on said spring over which the tape is led to facilitate threadingthe tape beneath the cutter blade.

In testimony whereof I aihx my signature.

LOUIS G. MASSICOTTE.

